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Nursing Management and Professional Concepts 2e: 6.4 Ethics Committees

Nursing Management and Professional Concepts 2e
6.4 Ethics Committees
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table of contents
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Table Of Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. Preface
  7. Standards and Conceptual Approach
  8. Chapter 1 - Overview of Management and Professional Issues
    1. 1.1 Overview
  9. Chapter 2 - Prioritization
    1. 2.1 Prioritization Introduction
    2. 2.2 Tenets of Prioritization
    3. 2.3 Tools for Prioritizing
    4. 2.4 Critical Thinking and Clinical Reasoning
    5. 2.5 Time Management
    6. 2.6 Spotlight Application
    7. 2.7 Learning Activities
    8. II Glossary
  10. Chapter 3 - Delegation and Supervision
    1. 3.1 Delegation & Supervision Introduction
    2. 3.2 Communication
    3. 3.3 Assignment
    4. 3.4 Delegation
    5. 3.5 Supervision
    6. 3.6 Spotlight Application
    7. 3.7 Learning Activities
    8. III Glossary
  11. Chapter 4 - Leadership and Management
    1. 4.1 Leadership & Management Introduction
    2. 4.2 Basic Concepts
    3. 4.3 Implementing Change
    4. 4.4 Spotlight Application
    5. 4.5 Learning Activities
    6. IV Glossary
  12. Chapter 5 - Legal Implications
    1. 5.1 Legal Implications Introduction
    2. 5.2 Understanding the Legal System
    3. 5.3 Professional Liability and Your Nursing License
    4. 5.4 Frequent Allegations and SBON Investigations
    5. 5.5 Protecting Your Nursing License
    6. 5.6 Other Legal Issues
    7. 5.7 Spotlight Application
    8. 5.8 Learning Activities
    9. V Glossary
  13. Chapter 6 - Ethical Practice
    1. 6.1 Ethical Practice Introduction
    2. 6.2 Basic Ethical Concepts
    3. 6.3 Ethical Dilemmas
    4. 6.4 Ethics Committees
    5. 6.5 Ethics and the Nursing Student
    6. 6.6 Spotlight Application
    7. 6.7 Learning Activities
    8. VI Glossary
  14. Chapter 7 - Collaboration Within the Interprofessional Team
    1. 7.1 Collaboration Within the Interprofessional Team Introduction
    2. 7.2 IPEC Core Competencies
    3. 7.3 Values and Ethics for Interprofessional Practice
    4. 7.4 Roles and Responsibililites of Health Care Professionals
    5. 7.5 Interprofessional Communication
    6. 7.6 Teams and Teamwork
    7. 7.7 Conflict Resolution
    8. 7.8 Nursing Responsibilities in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
    9. 7.9 Spotlight Application
    10. 7.10 Learning Activities
    11. VII Glossary
  15. Chapter 8 - Health Care Economics
    1. 8.1 Health Care Economics Introduction
    2. 8.2 Trends Related to Increased Health Care Costs
    3. 8.3 Health Care Funding
    4. 8.4 Health Care Reimbursement Models
    5. 8.5 Budgets and Staffing
    6. 8.6 Resource Stewardship and Case Management
    7. 8.7 Spotlight Application
    8. 8.8 Learning Activities
    9. VIII Glossary
  16. Chapter 9 - Quality and Evidence-Based Practice
    1. 9.1 Quality and Evidence-Based Practice Introduction
    2. 9.2 Quality Care
    3. 9.3 Measuring and Improving Quality
    4. 9.4 Evidence-Based Practice and Research
    5. 9.5 Spotlight Application
    6. 9.6 Learning Activities
    7. IX Glossary
  17. Chapter 10 - Advocacy
    1. 10.1 Advocacy Introduction
    2. 10.2 Basic Advocacy Concepts
    3. 10.3 Individual and Interpersonal Advocacy
    4. 10.4 Community and Organization Advocacy
    5. 10.5 Policy Advocacy
    6. 10.6 Steps to Becoming an Advocate
    7. 10.7 QSEN: Advocating for Patient Safety and Quality Care in Nursing Education
    8. 10.8 Spotlight Application
    9. 10.9 Learning Activities
    10. X Glossary
  18. Chapter 11 - Preparation for the RN Role
    1. 11.1 Preparation for the RN Role Introduction
    2. 11.2 Preparing for the NCLEX
    3. 11.3 Obtaining Your Nursing License
    4. 11.4 Applying for a Nursing Position
    5. 11.5 Transitioning to the RN Role
    6. 11.6 Lifelong Learner
    7. 11.7 Spotlight Application
    8. 11.8 Learning Activities
    9. XI Glossary
  19. Chapter 12 - Burnout and Self-Care
    1. 12.1 Burnout & Self-Care Introduction
    2. 12.2 Stress in the Health Care System
    3. 12.3 Identifying Stress in Self
    4. 12.4 Acknowledging Stress in Others
    5. 12.5 Organizational Stress & Retention Cycle
    6. 12.6 Mitigating Stress With Self-Care
    7. 12.7 Emerging Models
    8. 12.8 Spotlight Application
    9. 12.9 Learning Activities
    10. XII Glossary
  20. Answer Keys
    1. Chapter 1
    2. Chapter 2
    3. Chapter 3
    4. Chapter 4
    5. Chapter 5
    6. Chapter 6
    7. Chapter 7
    8. Chapter 8
    9. Chapter 9
    10. Chapter 10
    11. Chapter 11
    12. Chapter 12
  21. Appendix: Classroom Activities
  22. Master Glossary

6.4 Ethics Committees

In addition to using established frameworks to resolve ethical dilemmas, nurses can also consult their organization’s ethics committee for ethical guidance in the workplace. Ethics committees are typically composed of interdisciplinary team members such as physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, administrators, social workers, and clergy to problem-solve ethical dilemmas. See Figure 6.8[1] for an illustration of an ethics committee. Hospital ethics committees were created in response to legal controversies regarding the refusal of life-sustaining treatment, such as the Karen Quinlan case.[2] Read more about the Karen Quinlan case and controversies surrounding life-sustaining treatment in the “Legal Implications” chapter.

Image showing a balance scale icon surrounded by six people bust shapes
Figure 6.8 Ethics Committee

After the passage of the Patient Self-Determination Act in 1991, all health care institutions receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding are required to form ethics committees. The Joint Commission (TJC) also requires organizations to have a formalized mechanism of dealing with ethical issues. Nurses should be aware of the process for requesting guidance and support from ethics committees at their workplace for ethical issues affecting clients or staff.[3]

Institutional Review Boards and Ethical Research

Other types of ethics committees have been formed to address the ethics of medical research on clients. Historically, there are examples of medical research causing harm to clients. For example, an infamous research study called the “Tuskegee Study” raised concern regarding ethical issues in research such as informed consent, paternalism, maleficence, truth-telling, and justice.

In 1932 the Tuskegee Study began a 40-year study looking at the long-term progression of syphilis. Over 600 Black men were told they were receiving free medical care, but researchers only treated men diagnosed with syphilis with aspirin, even after it was discovered that penicillin was a highly effective treatment for the disease. The institute allowed the study to go on, even when men developed long-stage neurological symptoms of the disease and some wives and children became infected with syphilis. In 1972 these consequences of the Tuskegee Study were leaked to the media and public outrage caused the study to shut down.[4]

Potential harm to clients participating in research studies like the Tuskegee Study was rationalized based on the utilitarian view that potential harm to individuals was outweighed by the benefit of new scientific knowledge resulting in greater good for society. As a result of public outrage over ethical concerns related to medical research, Congress recognized that an independent mechanism was needed to protect research subjects. In 1974 regulations were established requiring research with human subjects to undergo review by an institutional review board (IRB) to ensure it meets ethical criteria. An IRB is group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects.[5] The IRB review ensures the following criteria are met when research is performed:

  • The benefits of the research study outweigh the potential risks.
  • Individuals’ participation in the research is voluntary.
  • Informed consent is obtained from research participants who have the ability to decline participation.
  • Participants are aware of the potential risks of participating in the research.[6]

View a YouTube video discussing Henrietta Lacks, the Tuskegee Experiment, ethics and research.[7] 

  1. “Ethics Committee.png” by Meredith Pomietlo for Chippewa Valley Technical College is licensed under CC BY 4.0  ↵
  2. Annas, G., & Grodin, M. (2016). Hospital ethics committees, consultants, and courts. AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(5), 554-559. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/hospital-ethics-committees-consultants-and-courts/2016-05 ↵
  3. Aulisio, M. (2016). Why did hospital ethics committees emerge in the US? AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(5), 546-553. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/why-did-hospital-ethics-committees-emerge-us/2016-05 ↵
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 22). The Tuskegee timeline. https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm ↵
  5. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2019, September 11). Institutional review boards (IRBs) and protection of human subjects in clinical trials. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/institutional-review-boards-irbs-and-protection-human-subjects-clinical-trials ↵
  6. Annas, G., & Grodin, M. (2016). Hospital ethics committees, consultants, and courts. AMA Journal of Ethics, 18(5), 554-559. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/hospital-ethics-committees-consultants-and-courts/2016-05 ↵
  7. CrashCourse. (2018, April 18). Henrietta Lacks, the Tuskegee experiment, and ethical data collection: Crash course statistics #1 [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. https://youtu.be/CzNANZnoiRs  ↵

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